1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved portable apparatus and process for forming etched designs on substrates, such as glass doors and windows. More particularly, it relates to such an apparatus and process which can be used to make attractive designs on glass and other substrates without removing the substrate from its installation. Most especially, it relates to such a portable apparatus and method which allows an operator to monitor the progress of etching the design visually. It further relates to such a portable etching apparatus and process for abrasive etching of decorative glass while the glass being etched is in its stationary framed position, such as in a sliding glass door, a swinging door, a plate glass store-front window, or a window in a house.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the last few years there has been a renaissance in the use of decorative glass for homes, businesses and recreational environments. Such decorative glass is usually obtained through abrasive etching, which is not a totally new art form. Headstones and other monuments have been carved in the past using a similar technique. In such processes, an adhesive stencil is placed on a glass or mirror and a design cut into the adhesive stencil corresponding to portions of the glass to be etched in the desired design. As presently practiced, the plate glass must either be etched before it is installed, or it must be removed from its frame and taken to a remote location for etching the design by placing the glass in a large sandblasting booth. Attractive and artistic designs are achieved by judging depth from shadows and the reflected nuances of light. In this manner, the artist etches the lines and curves of his design.
While portable sandblasting devices are known in the prior art as shown in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,915, such portable sandblasters are intended for cleaning the hulls of ships or cylindrical tanks. In such devices, the surface being sandblasted is not visible to the user, nor is the sandblasting nozzle directable to achieve artistic effects.
Thus, a need remains for a portable sandblasting apparatus especially suited for providing artistic designs on glass and other substrates already installed in their intended environments.